Watertable (Public Art) Gardiner Expressway @ Fort York

[bleeepbluuup]

I do like it, but the otherwise completely insane Warmington does make a point (let me explain!!).

I'd prefer to see the underside of the Gardiner retained for guerrilla art installations - a similar piece could have been created for a fraction of the cost were it left to the artists themselves. Of course, there would have to be some regulations concerning safety etc., but I think it would be forward thinking (for the left) and cost-effective (for the right) to allow local artists to stake out a piece of pillar and go to town. Over time, such pieces would be replaced, vandalized, reworked, enjoyed, hated, debated etc., all in keeping with the evolutionary nature of art as a reflection of where we stand as a society.

Best of all, it would shut the Fords of the city up by being freeeeeee...

That sounds pretty chaotic! I don't know if that would work so well...

Plus, if you are only asking people who do this sort of thing just for kicks, that's one thing. But I think if we're going to commission a work of art, we ought to pay the artist. They have to make a living too.

 

[AGTO]

But I think if we're going to commission a work of art, we ought to pay the artist.

$115,000.00 for rope light?

 

[khris]

Definitely way too much money for what it is. That is without seeing it in person first though.

 

[MatrixElement]

October 24 Picture

Also visible during the day:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41002894@N07/4040255335/

 

[Tuscani01]

It looks very sad. I was expecting something much better. (quality wise)

ps. Its too bad the entire Gardiner doesn't look like that section. There is nothing that screams barrier there, especially with the public art.

 

[MatrixElement]

It looks very sad. I was expecting something much better. (quality wise)

ps. Its too bad the entire Gardiner doesn't look like that section. There is nothing that screams barrier there, especially with the public art.

Yes, the Gardiner is almost graceful and elegant in that area. It is very tall, which lets in more light and reduces the noise of the traffic. The support columns are very clean and white with no cracks, so they must have cleaned or restored them in the past few years. If go you a bit farther west it gets really dirty and run down again. The area underneath, while hardly lush, has a reasonable "lawn", and Fort York Blvd itself is nicely landscaped with trees, etc. If only they would paint the side of the road something other than ugly industrial hospital green!

 

[wyliepoon]

I'd imagine that if this thing was inaugurated during Nuit Blanche few would be balking at the cost. Too bad.

While I am against spending that much public money on stringing LEDs under the Gardiner, I am all for the Gardiner being used for permanent public art. Making it an attraction to the Nuit Blanche kind of crowd would help to change its traditional image as "the" barrier to the waterfront. (Since the real culprit is the Railway Lands, the underpasses through the railway tracks could also be done up with public art)

 

[AGTO]

I am all for the Gardiner being used for permanent public art.

The supports for the section of the Gardiner that was torn down, east of the Don, were designated for public art projects. Unfortunately, the land is considered contaminated, so the city cannot issue the required work permits to an artist who wishes to use the space.

 

[EnviroTO]

To be fair it should be noted that it lights up the underbelly of the Gardiner at night where the pedestrian walkway to Fort York is located. There is some functional benefit to its location. I would like to know how much the lighting in the new Simcoe tunnel costed to install for comparison. I suspect that commercial lighting and the enabling electrical work are more expensive than most people realize. While it looks small the area that installation covers is far greater than the square footage of most people's homes. Public projects are expensive because even though they don't look it... they are big.

 

[Tewder]

I have to shake my head at this one. I'd dearly love to know who approved this and what they were thinking...

 

[Roy G Biv]

That's the dumbest thing I've ever seen.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

biggest tanning bed ever! don't stay under there for too long. remember what happened to kramer?

 

[ProjectEnd]

I have to shake my head at this one. I'd dearly love to know who approved this and what they were thinking...

I'd say it was more a case of the original vision promising more than the actual piece could deliver. Who would turn down the vibrating joy that the render in the first post in this thread promises?

 

[grey]

I liked the Gardiner better the way it was. How the heck am I going to edit this thing out of my photos?

 

[Urban Shocker]

Once the Gardiner is pulled down, I hope they save this little section - lights 'n' all.